This invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications and broadcasting, and particularly addresses digital multimedia processing for transmission over telecommunications networks. In particular the invention describes various methods and apparatuses that can be used to transmit media, and in particular video, for use in a variety of situations. In particular, the invention describes a method for transmission of media coded according to patterns. Further, the invention describes transmitting media for progressive download of a 3GP file.
Present networks such as Third Generation (3G) mobile networks, broadband, cable, DSL, Wi-Fi, and WiMax networks allow their users access to a rich complement of multimedia services including audio, video, and data. Other networks such as Next Generation Networks, 4G and Long Term Evolution (LTE) will continue this trend in media rich communication.
The typical user desires that their media services and applications are seamlessly accessible and integrated between services as well as being accessible to multiple differing clients with varied capabilities and access technologies and protocols in a fashion that is transparent to them. These desires will need to be met in order to successfully deliver some revenue generating services and to ensure branding of services across an operator/provider's various networks.
Different service providers may employ different network technologies or a combination of network technologies to expand access capabilities to the widest range possible of users and user experiences. A challenge is the adaptation of media to cater to differing networks capabilities so they can be offered with an attractive user experience to users with varying access capability which may depend on the location of the user (e.g. at home on the web) or mobile (e.g. commuting), or wireless (e.g. in an internet café). Network capabilities can also be augmented.
The range of devices currently available that connect to the services have a large range of inherent capabilities and further have many of these capabilities reduced by a particular environment. Delivering to those abilities or overcoming the inherent deficiencies or situational deficiencies of a device in order to provide high quality services to the user of the device is also of increasing importance. Certain devices may only receive media using a specific delivery technology or a subset of a delivery technology. In particular, certain devices handle RTSP streaming which is well suited to deliver stored and live content and certain other devices handle HTTP streaming (also known as progressive download) which is well suited to deliver stored content but not live content. Certain devices or networks may only be able to receive or transmit data at a constant bit rate. Certain devices may also have specific restrictions when accessing a particular kind of media such that they only operate using a proper subset of a particular standard.
With the desire of service providers to offer various multimedia applications, both live and stored content, to the widest user base and without hindrance on various access methods (broadband fixed, wireless, mobile), technologies (DSL, Cable, Edge, 3G, Wi-Fi, 4G, WiMax, LTE), access protocols (RTSP, SIP, HTTP) and devices, there is a need in the art for improved methods and systems for receiving and transmitting multimedia information between multimedia telecommunications networks and devices.